Normal Approximation to Poisson Distribution

For sufficiently large values of λ, (say λ>1,000), the Normal(μ = λ,σ2 = λ) Distribution is an excellent approximation to the Poisson(λ) Distribution. If λ is greater than about 10, then the Normal Distribution is a good approximation if an appropriate continuity correction is performed.

Examples

Suppose cars arrive at a parking lot at a rate of 50 per hour. Let’s assume that the process is a Poisson random variable with λ = 50. Compute the probability that in the next hour the number of cars that arrive at this parking lot will be between 54 and 62. We can compute this as follows:
The figure below from the SOCR Poisson Distribution shows this probability.

Note: We observe that this distribution is bell-shaped. We can use the normal distribution to approximate this probability. Using , together with the continuity correction for better approximation we obtain , which is close to the exact that was found earlier. The figure below shows this probability using hte SOCR Normal Distribution Applet.